Duke Coasts By Nu

DURHAM, N.C. — Coach Dennis Green mentioned an ``incorrect call`` that deprived his Northwestern Wildcats of a touchdown that would have trimmed Duke`s lead to 24-21.

Linebacker and co-captain Jim Torkelson talked of ``the heat, the anxiety of playing at a new place . . . and sitting around all day when we`re used to playing in the afternoon and we wanted to play . . .``

But neither Green nor Torkelson would blame Saturday night`s 40-17 loss to Duke on the referees, the site of the game, the kickoff time or the 90-degree Dixie heat.

Sophomore quarterback Slayden, whose passing arm was so sore in recent days that he could hardly comb his hair, exercised both his arm and his brain as he picked apart the inexperienced Wildcat secondary.

``My arm really was sore,`` he said. ``I didn`t throw at all for 10 days. Not until late this week.``

The Wildcats might not believe this. Slayden stung them for 21 completions in 28 tries for two TDs, no interceptions and 229 yards.

More significant than his statistics was the method Slayden used to rob Torkelson and members of his defensive unit of their natural aggressiveness.

Slayden gained 24 and 18 yards on first-down play-action passes on the drive to the game`s first touchdown. He also set up his running game. Later in the first period, en route to a 17-0 lead, he deftly dumped a screen to running back Julius Grantham.

``That was our game plan,`` Slayden said. ``Mixing up those first-down passes and screens and estabishing the run put pressure on their linebckers. It took away from their pass rush.``

Reluctantly, but respectfully, Green and Torkelson admitted that Duke`s game plan had succeeded.

``I know we`re better hitters than we were tonight,`` said Torkelson.

``And we were very flat tonight. But their play calling was very good for the defenses we were in. By mixing up the calls, he took away from our natural instinctive play.``

The Wildcat defense, Green noted, failed to register a quarterback sack or to make a turnover. These shortcomings, plus a running game that generated only 84 yards, made Duke`s job eisier.

``If we had put more pressure on Slayden, he wouldn`t have done so well,`` said Green, ``But he executed well. He`s a good passer. We knew that.``

Although Northwestern twice fell behind by 17 points in the first half, quarterback Mike Greenfield and the Cats wrested momentum from the Blue Devils.

Greenfield`s 25-yard scoring pass to Curtis Duncan cut Duke`s lead to 24-14 with 14 seconds to go in the first half. Then the Cats took the second- half kickoff and marched to a first down on Duke`s 1-yard line.

After Stanley Davenport lost three yards, Greenfield passed to Duncan, who squirmed into the end zone. However, split end Marc Bumgarner was called for offensive interference on the play. So the Cats lost the down and 15 yards and had to settle for John Duvic`s field goal.

``That was an incorrect call,`` said Green. ``Probably the biggest call of the night. We knew we had to score a touchdown and a field goal to tie. It didn`t matter which came first, but the touchdown would have made it 24-21. We definitely had momentum.``

Greenfield felt that the penalty ``was kind of a cheap call. Bumgarner was just running his route. If we had scored that touchdown, it might have been a lot different.``

Maybe. And maybe not. Slayden still was pitching for the Blue Devils.

A defensive pass interference penalty against Mike Witteck erased Brett Whitley`s goal-line interception and 60-yard return and awarded Duke the ball on the NU 3. Slayden passed two yards to Jason Cooper to make the score 31-17. A Wildcat penalty on the touchdown gave Duke the ball on NU`s 45-yard line for the kickoff, a logical spot for an onsides kick.

``We told our guys to be ready for the onsides kick, and a couple of them had a shot at it, but Duke recovered it,`` said Green.

The fumble recovery on the kick set up still another TD and a 37-17 lead. The Wildcats, starting Green`s fifth season, counted on beating Duke

(also 2-9 last year) because they feel they had a chance to win in their first five games: Duke, Missouri, Northern Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota.

Can the Cats rebound from the psychological blow of a 23-point loss in their opener, Green was asked?

``We`re very disappointed,`` he answered, ``but we`re not basing the whole season on the result of this Duke game . . .``